Mercy Care

There is a place down by the MARTA tracks between the MLK and Georgia State stations you don’t want to go. The people who live there call it “the dungeon,” and only the most desperate of Atlanta’s homeless go there. 

“I wish people knew that our patients are not so different from us, and they want the same things out of life that we do. It's not us versus them; we are literally all in this together.”  - Joy Fernandez De Nayan, Program Director, Street Medicine

With soup kitchens and shelters closing due to COVID-19, Mercy Care’s Street Medicine team has noticed an increase in people living on the streets over the past few months. The recent civil unrest in Atlanta has created an increase in violent crime and with temperatures dropping, and COVID cases rising, many of our regular patients are afraid and struggling more than usual. 

The special people working the Street Medicine program go above and beyond for their clients. In addition to making sure no one falls through the cracks, staff are masters of lifting the self-esteem of all our patients, but especially those who seem to have lost touch with their own humanity.

“Everyone is passionate about both the physical work of healing and housing and the spiritual work of relationship building and soul-fixing.” - Joy Fernandez De Nayan, Program Director, Street Medicine

Our programs rely on your generosity. Your donations directly impact the lives of Atlanta’s neediest. A gift to Mercy Care says, “I believe in you.” Your donations are the beacon of hope; along with a blanket and essential medication, which keep our patients alive for another day.